A privately funded project that placed reading aides in the first three grades of the public schools was initiated in a rural county of Mississippi. The program provided a paraprofessional assistant reading instructor who worked under the direction of a classroom teacher to strengthen and enrich children's work in small groups or in an educational…

The human brain is composed of two interdependent systems, the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. While the left brain analyzes sequentially the phonemes of our language and names or reads words, the right brain produces the images, feelings, and associations connected with the words. Current educational systems, however, are doing little…

This study was an attempt to replicate the results of a master's thesis by Marie Davis (Kean College, New Jersey, 1982) in which teachers' attitudes towards pull-out (student leaves the regular classroom for instruction by the compensatory reading teacher) and in-class (compensatory reading teacher works with the child within the confines of the…

Grade 3 and grade 4 classrooms in a California bilingual Spanish/English environment were studied. In the first study, reading lessons were observed and analyzed in a bilingual classroom. Using the analysis of this experience, in the second study a series of theory-driven experimental interventions were initiated. It was found that the achievement…

This booklet was developed to offer practical advice to those in charge of, or attempting to develop, a small literacy program. The guide is organized in nine narrative sections that provide information on the following topics: beginning a literacy program, assessing the need, program structure, building a program, financing a program,…

Designed to be used primarily as a reader for first and second graders, but also as a speller and vocabulary builder for any student who needs help in language arts mastery, this book combines phonics with the "Look and Say" methods to present a step-by-step learning guide. Following an introduction explaining the five-step procedure…

A study investigated kindergarten children's awareness of how they are learning to read at home and in school. Fifty-six children were selected from two schools with contrasting instruction for beginning reading. Children were interviewed in kindergarten and first grade and asked questions designed to tap their awareness of how they were learning…

To determine the effect of training in reciprocal teaching on collaborative learning, a study of six middle school remedial reading classes was undertaken. Reciprocal teaching is a method in which the teacher participates both as a leader and as respondent. Before the experiment began, the teachers were trained for a day in reciprocal teaching and…

This is a collection of school improvement materials from the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NREL) school improvement research series. A topical synthesis, two "close-ups," and four "snapshots" focus on core aspects of early childhood education (ECE) and elementary education. The topical synthesis examines: (1) what…

This document contains two inservice presentations. Each presentation has a full script with transparencies, handouts, graphs, and a list of materials needed for the presentation. The first presentation describes eight ideas common to both mathematics and reading namely, that: (1) a comprehensive instruction program is needed; (2) educators teach…

A practicum study was conducted to raise the reading comprehension level of students at least one grade level by using Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI), and to determine the kind of student who would most benefit by the use of CAI. A control group of 35 students and three experimental groups of 19 computer students, all in fourth or fifth…

This study explored the perceptions of whole language instruction held by a group of teachers of young children. Four questions framed the study: (1) How do teachers of young children define a whole language program? (2) What kind of whole language activities have the teachers tried in their classroom, and how did teachers feel about the outcomes…

This study was conducted to describe the process of reflective coaching as a means of assisting a kindergarten teacher in developing her own kindergarten program in which she stated she wished to begin to incorporate new strategies based on emergent literacy research. A kindergarten teacher and a teacher educator/researcher participated in the…

This profile describes "Teaching Reading Comprehension," a series of 14 30-minute video programs designed to expand K-8 reading teachers' understanding of the new view of reading as a constructive process and strategic behavior. Each video features at least one nationally recognized reading researcher and educator presenting the findings of his or…

A guide for teachers of second language reading offers ideas for using authentic texts as instructional materials. The guide focuses on how to teach students to become strategic readers and use their background knowledge to enhance comprehension. Schema theory is proposed as a framework for approaching reading tasks, by providing relevant pre- and…